My son is 15 and NOT a math kid. He has no learning disability but he's just a different learning style (highly visual, gets lost in long, drawn-out explanations, need pictures). He is a "right brained" learner in that he grasps concepts easily but then forgets the procedural steps easily. He definitely needs a mastery approach, yet some review is good, too, because if he doesn't visit a topic for awhile, he forgets the procedure. However show it to him/jog his memory once, and he's good to go. He's currently slogging through Pre-Algebra.
We tried MUS but quite honestly, it didn't mesh well with him surprisingly. Largely because they sometimes explain things or teach things in a different way (my husband, a math teacher) said they make some things more complicated than they need to be.
He is university-bound, but for arts NOT math/sciences, so our goal is just to get through Algebra 1 & Geometry, then do life/business math. This will also meet necessary university entrance requirements for the programs he's looking at.
So I am looking at 3 programs (Heavenly day please don't suggest anything else or my mind may explode! Lol):
- Learn Math Fast: I'm thinking this is designed for kids just like him - who struggle/are behind, have gaps (we've done a lot of curriculum hopping always searching for the golden egg), and who just need to get caught up quickly. The price is phenomenal. The only cons that I can think of are the fact that there's no review, and the lessons may be too wordy/not visual enough for him?? Thoughts?
- Jacob's Algebra: he would love the humor element (he thrives on highly interesting, engaging instruction). It's also very visual and has review built into each lesson. I'm just not sure the instruction is as clear as it could be sometimes???
- Denison Algebra: what's not to love?!! It's designed specifically for kids like him. It's HIGHLY visual, the video lessons are great, the instructor is humorous. Honestly, the only con I can come up with is the cost - the equivalent of $225 for this Canuck, with no resale value since it's online/consumable. That's a hard pill for a small budget to swallow. But... if it's really *that* good, and if the others really won't compare, I'll consider it.
Anyways, would love your thoughts. If we could get by with LMF of Jacob's, I'd love to because of the cost. But if Denison is really the best for him, we'll just make Visa happy.
